As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push 'anti-diet' advice

[DBoon]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/04/03/diet-culture-nutrition-influencers-general-mills-processed-food/

Jaye Rochon struggled to lose weight for years. But she felt as if a burden had lifted when she discovered YouTube influencers advocating “health at every size” — urging her to stop dieting and start listening to her “mental hunger.”

She stopped avoiding favorite foods such as cupcakes and Nutella. “They made me feel like I was safe eating whatever the hell I wanted,” said Rochon, 51, a video editor in Wausau, Wisc. In two months, she regained 50 pounds. As her weight neared 300 pounds, she began to worry about her health.

The videos that Rochon encountered are part of the so-called “anti-diet” movement, a social media juggernaut that began as an effort to combat weight stigma and an unhealthy obsession with thinness. But now global food marketers are seeking to cash in on the trend.

One company in particular, General Mills, maker of Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms cereals, has launched a multi-pronged campaign that capitalizes on the teachings of the anti-diet movement, an investigation by The Washington Post and The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that covers global public health, has found.

[Hugin]

1. First it was the anti-vaxxers and now this.

[spinbaby]

2. I am also against diets

My experience with dieting has been—and I am not alone in this—that I invariably regain more weight than I lost in the first place. Eventually I dieted my way into a gastric bypass. The combination of yo-yo dieting and easily available junk food is deadly.

Eat real food, eat meals rather than snacks, and stay active.

[Xavier Breath]

4. I would echo that advice and also add drink lots of water.

That's a formula I hit on a few years back and it is producing results. Very slowly compared to a fad diet, to be sure. But unlike a fad diet, the weight doesn't boomerang back.

[Hugin]

5. "Eat real food, eat meals rather than snacks, and stay active." n/t

[Johnny2X2X]

3. It's so hard to sort through now

There is just a mountain of information both good and bad out there, that it's nearly impossible to sort through now.

And on top of the misinformation that's out there, a lot fo the actual science on diet and health out there is not settled and changes based on new studies.

When people think of highly influential and devious industries, they usually think of oil and gas, and military. But the food lobby is incredibly powerful and influential. Every bit of information we get as consumers about nutrition that is accurate was fought for to get it in front of us. The food cartels don't want consumers to know basic facts about food like what's in it, how much sugar was added, and what preservatives are in it. If the food lobby had its way, there would be no ingredient or nutrition information on the sides of food packages.

And obesity is such a complex and tough issue to discuss. Yes, there are some heavy people who are perfectly healthy, but they unfortunately are the exception to the rule. Weight is something tens of millions of Americans struggle with, it's all ecompassing. It effects mental health as well as physical. There's no easy answers and it's a world swimming with disinformation. The whole of society is setup against heavier people losing weight. But we have to do something as a country.

And every person's situation is unique. Tehre are genetic and social factors as well as environmental factors that make each person's journey different.

[tulipsandroses]

6. There is no one size fits all way of eating. People should stop taking advice from influencers

No matter what you are struggling with, find a professional that tailors an individualized plan for you. The one size fits all advice is damaging. People end up feeling bad when they can’t stick to the advice or when it doesn’t work for them. Obesity is more than calories in vs calories out.

[Caliman73]

7. This is about language, and again, as always about money.

Restrictive diets are not good. Keto, Atkins, Pritikin, Weight Watchers, etc... are typically restrictive in the foods you can eat. They are typically repetitive and they do not deal with the psychological causes of over eating, nor do they address the metabolic damage that the "typical" American food consumption and lifestyle does.

I have no problem with the idea of combating stigma for people who are overweight. There is real discrimination going on. We have all heard people say, "Get off your fat ass and maybe you'd be thin" or "You're fat because you're (weak, lazy, gluttonous, etc...)" It is a character thing to many. Clothing is made for "thin" people, modeled by "thin" people, etc...

My thinking is function and health over "numbers". If you are 20 pounds over the "recommended" weight for your body type (height, mass, etc...) but you eat healthier foods and are active and feel good being active (no knee pain, etc...) then those "extra 20 pounds" are not worth obsessing about. If your weight slows you down, causes pain or fatigue, then even 10 pounds can be "too much".

The problem is not with the overweight people. The problem is with the societal incentives. Food companies want to sell you food, Diet companies want to sell you fad diets, exercise companies want to sell you equipment. Instead of promoting whole person health, it is only about how much money people can get from you.

Health should be the primary focus when it comes to "weight".

[Jacson6]

8. Know the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian.

A nutritionist is not required to have training or a State license.
A dietitian is required to have training from an accredited university and a license from the State they practice in.